Page:Narrative of the extraordinary adventures of four Russian sailors (1).pdf/3

 so well pleased with the account, that they directed a translation of it to be made into English.

In the year 1743, one Jeremiah Okladmkoff, a merchant of Mesen, a town in the province of Jugovia, and in the*goverment of Archangel, fitted out a vessel, carrying 14 men: She was destined for Spitzbergen, to be imployed in the whale or seal fishery. For eight successive days after they had sailed, the wind was fair; but on the ninth it changed; so that instead of getting to the west of Spitzbergen, the usual place of rendezvous for the Dutch Ships, and those of other nations annually employed in the whale-fishery, they were driven eastward of those islands; and, after some days they found themselves at a small distance from one of them called East Spitzbergen; by the Russians, Maloy Broun; that is, Little Broun. Having approached this island within almost three wrests, or two English miles, their vessel was suddenly surrounded by ice, and they found themselves in an extremely dangerous situation. In this alarming state a council was held; when the Mate, Alexis Himkof, informed them that he recollected to have heard that some of the people of Mesen, some time before, having formed a resolution of wintering upon this island, had accordingly carried from that city timber